Altered photo frame step-by-step feat. Little Birdie Chalk Paints and Color Splash sprays

Hello, dear craft-y people!

Summer's approaching at a menacing speed here in Hyderabad and days are sunny !! So today I thought of bringing some breezy summer colors for you. :D

Ever since I set my eyes on Little Birdie matte chalk paints, I've been on a rampage (almost!) altering items at home! The latest to fall prey was a photo frame which had started to show signs of weathering and was waiting to be given a face-lift.

Well, I'd like to think it has been a face-lift. I'll leave that to you to decide. I'll go through the steps of altering this photo frame in my post below :)

Here is what I started with...a canvas photo frame which I painted white with gesso. Once the gesso was dry, I layered bits of lace, trim, doilies, chipboard shapes, and gauze on the frame (all from the store). I added further texture using modelling paste and the honeycomb stencil.

Next, I primed the frame with gesso for a second time (this time covering the textures) followed by Chalk Paint in Sailing Sky (applied this only on the textured areas.) 

I left this coat of paint to dry thoroughly and then went over the entire frame with Chalk Paint in Snow (White). Using a slightly damp baby wipe, I wiped the white paint off the textured areas. (I painted a small area at a time because chalk paint dries very fast.)

I felt the palette could use a little warmth so I dabbed Little Birdie Lime Splash over parts of the frame. (I used a rolled up baby wipe as a paint dauber.)

Where the color looked too intense or a harsh line was visible, I dry-brushed gesso to tone down the lines.

The altered frame was nearly ready! All that was needed to be done was adding a sentiment, flowers, and some chipboard. I prepped my chipboard using gesso and Lime Splash.

Here is the final altered photo frame--I did random script stamping and doodling to make the colors and textures pop. I also lightly inked the flowers with Lime Splash and gesso.

Thank you for stopping by! Please do leave your thoughts below--I'd love to hear from you.

Happy crafting :)

Suchi

Supplies: 

MARGARITA OCEAN MIST 11PCS IB

http://itsybitsy.in/margarita-ocean-mist-11pcs-ib

BLANCHE OCEAN MIST 11PCS IB

http://itsybitsy.in/blanche-ocean-mist-11pcs-ib

HOME DECOR CHALK PAINT SAILING SKY 60ML BOTTLE

http://itsybitsy.in/home-decor-chalk-paint-sailing-sky-60ml-bottle

HOME DECOR CHALK PAINT SNOW 60ML BOTTLE

http://itsybitsy.in/home-decor-chalk-paint-snow-60ml-bottle

SILICON LIQUID GLUE 100ML IB

http://itsybitsy.in/silicon-liquid-glue-100ml-ib 

COLOR SPLASH LIME SPLASH 50ML BOTTLE IB

http://itsybitsy.in/color-splash-lime-splash-40ml-bottle-ib

CHIPBOARD SHAPES IVY FLOURISH 1PC IB

http://itsybitsy.in/chipboard-shapes-ivy-flourish-1pc-ib

CHIPBOARD SHAPES HONEY COMB 1PC IB

http://itsybitsy.in/chipboards-shapes-honey-comb-1pc-ib

EMBOSSED PEARL BLOOMS LEMON CHIFFON 8PCS PBHC IB

http://itsybitsy.in/embossed-pearl-blooms-lemon-chiffon-8pcs

PAPER FLOWERS WHITE 18PCS IB

http://itsybitsy.in/paper-flowers-white-18pcs-ib

STENCIL HONEY COMB 18.5 X 24.5CM 1PC

http://itsybitsy.in/stencil-honey-comb-18-5-x-24-5cm-1pc

FABRIC GLUE 30ML SQUEEZE

http://itsybitsy.in/fabric-glue-30ml-squeeze 

CRAFT GLUE MATT 250G HDPE JAR

http://itsybitsy.in/craft-glue-matt-250g-hdpe-jar

PALETTE KNIFE NO.15 MCG0063 1PC PBCI MM

http://itsybitsy.in/palette-knife-no-15-mcg0063-1pc-pbci-mm

Twine Wrapped Bottle

Hello All!! Welcome to another tutorial by Itsy Bitsy. Today, we shall turn an old bottle into a trendy new bottle! It is an easy DIY project and takes very little time and effort. Use your favourite colour of twine to decorate this bottle and make it prettier!!

Materials Required - 

Jute Twine – Any 2 colours

Silicone glue

Flower embelishment

Bottle

Method – 

Step 1 : Take a bottle and apply silicon glue around the base

Step 2 : Glue orange jute twine around the bottle

Step 3 : Secure the end with silicon glue. Note - it is not necessary to glue the entire bottle.

Step 4 : Glue pink jute twine as shown

Step 5 : Continue wrapping the bottle with twine until the entire bottle is covered.

Step 6 : You can leave the bottle as is or embellish it with a cute flower 

The elegant twine wrapped bottle is ready. Use it for home décor, school projects or for a fun activity during the summer holidays. Let us know what you think of it. Happy Crafting :-) :-)

Link to supplies – 

Jute Twine – Any 2 colours - http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=0&keyword=jute+twine

Silicone glue - http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/adhesives/silicon-glue

Flower embelishment -  http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/floral-embellishments/paper-flowers

Colouring Tips

Hello All!! Welcome to another Itsy Bitsy tutorial. Itsy Bitsy has just introduced Colour Yoga, Colouring Books for Adults - Nature, Geometrical, Damask, Classic and Floral. These books will allow you to start your day most creatively or let you relax after a hard day's work. It's an excellent arena for colour yoga & is an excellent alternative to meditation, letting you relax, de-stress and rejuvenate.

Colour your favourite design using a marker, colour pencil or by combining both. You can also add dimension to your designs with shading. In this tutorial, we shall show easy techniques of colouring using coloured pencils.

But, before we get to that, let us understand colours first.

Understanding Colours :

There are three types of colours –

Primary colours – Red, Blue & Yellow

Secondary colours – Orange, Green & Purple (created by combining 2 primary colours)

Tertiary colours – Yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, red-purple & red-orange (created by mixing adjacent primary & secondary colours).

A tint is a colour plus white & a shade is a colour plus black.

We can further classify colours as warm (red, yellow & orange) & calm colours (green, blue & purple).

So, let’s get started & master this art!!

Materials required:

Colour Yoga Coloring book

Colour pencil – Lemon yellow, orange, light green, cobalt green, red, pink (you can choose the colours of your choice)

Method :

Step 1: Use yellow and orange colour pencils to colour the head of owl. We recommend that you use light pressure and colour in circular pattern. Sharpen the pencil to a fine point and draw very small overlapping circular marks.

Step 2: Colour the entire area as shown using orange and yellow colour gently. The best way to shade is to just alter pressure on your pencil.

Step 3: Using two or more colours and blending it to bring a smooth finish is essential in colour blending technique. In this case, use orange and red colour and blend thoroughly. The trick is to put a lighter shade and then overlap it with a darker colour, burnishing the previous colour. 

Step 4: Colour the flower pink. Darken the shade towards the middle of the flower and shade lighter as you move towards the petals.

Step 5: Intensify shading towards to edges. Try to cover the area smoothly at the light end and then increase pressure as you colour towards the darker end.

Step 6: Colour both the wings yellow followed by 2 different shades of green. Each colour should smoothly blend with the previous shade. Layering darker colours over light or medium shade is recommended as it adds colour and darkens and not vice versa.

Step 7: Use yellow, red and orange to shade the body. 

Relax your way into one of these patterns & you can find yourself twirled together with cords of colours in a fantasy land as beautiful as your childhood dreams. Bid adieu to stress forever with our colouring books. :-) :-)

Links :

Itsy Bitsy Colour Yoga Coloring book - http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/books/colouring-books

Colour pencil - http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=0&keyword=14581

CAS Holi Card

The festival of colour is here and we are all ready to welcome the colours with our super cute and simple CAS cards, using stencils. :-) :-)

Materials required:

·        Stencils

·        Tempera colour

·        Card stock- 2 (we have ready 5”x7” card with envelope)

White and yellow

·        Double sided glue dot

·        Sponge

Method:

Step 1: Place the stencil on a white card stock. (You can stick the edges of the stencil to the card stock using cellophane tape for convenience) 

Step 2: Hold the stencil firmly. Using a sponge, dab the colours on to the card

Step 3 : Use bits of sponge to add different colours. Use colours of your choice to shade

Step 4: Remove the stencil, turn the card and stick double sided tapes to the edges of the card. 

Step 5 : Place this card on another card stock. This gives a 3D border for the stencil painting

Once dry, your card is ready & all set to be gifted. Gift it to your loved ones by adding sentiments and wishes. Enjoy a colourful and eco-friendly Holi. 

Link to supplies :

Stencils: http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/stencils/laser-cut-stencils

Tempera colour: http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/scrapbooking/embellishment/floral/3d-floral-corners-floral-13pc-pbci-lb

Card stock- 2 (we have ready 5”x7” card): http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/card-making/coloured-cards

Double sided adhesive:  http://www.itsybitsy.in/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2200_2204